A Rush of Blood to the Head
by Lil Miss Chuckles
Summary: Chuck hated the idea from the beginning. Blair decided to go along anyways, risking her life and the chance of ever seeing Chuck again. But he'll do anything for her even if that means there'll be blood on his hands. Chuck/Blair!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, unfortunately!

The gun in his hand was as foreign as a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning. His hand was perfectly still, aimed strategically at the pulsing vein throbbing in his opponent's forehead.

He was too poised, looked too calm, for someone who was about to kill another human being. It was as though he had made a living doing this very thing for the past eighteen years of his life.

The truth was, his insides were trembling and his heart was hammering inside his chest. If one looked closely, it would become apparent that his eyes were darker and bloodshot. His nostrils had ever-so-slightly flared and if one had stood close enough, they would have heard the erratic breathing he was trying so desperately to control.

He had not expected it to come to this moment nor would he have ever imagined to be in the predicament he was in. He had spent most of his life feeling much like the failure his father had led him to believe he was, drinking his guilt and feelings of incompetency away with expensive booze.

Even after Blair became a more prominent figure in his life and unexpectedly brought upon the realization that he indeed may have a heart capable of loving, he often couldn't forget about his less pleasant past. Many mornings, after nights of indescribable lovemaking, he would stare at Blair's sleeping face, so pure and full of innocence, and wonder if he really had overcome the monster within him. The memory of turning Blair away in the bar after her final break up with Nate and the memory of himself mocking her in Victrola for her declaration of love for him plagued him on several occasions.

He contemplated whether her life would have been better if he had just taken the plunge on that cold, January night on the rooftop of Victrola. He imagined his own funeral and what his headstone would say on it. No one would be able to claim he was a kind and loving person. No one would be able to honestly declare that he was giving and charitable. He never did well in school, never established himself as a respectable figure in the community, nor did he create anything to truly call his own. Even the company he was running had belonged to his father. He was simply operating the business with the protocol his father had left behind.

Because of this, many times Chuck felt he was worthless and forever useless to the ones who claimed to love him and want to be a part of his life.

But in this moment, holding the gun in his hand, Chuck began to ponder the idea that though his headstone would probably not have the words "kindness" or "loving" inscribed in it, there could be the possibility of having other words to fill the bare surface of the marble stone. See, one has to consider that maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.* Many can boast of their qualities and accomplishments, but few can really claim they made use of them when it really mattered.

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"I'm so glad you think this is a great idea, Humphrey. In that case, why not?" drawled Chuck, taking a sip of scotch from the tumbler in his hand. His eyes narrowed as he remained leaning back in his seat on the white leather couch.

Dan ignored Chuck's sarcasm and carried on, "Come on, Chuck. Maybe Blair will finally realize that there is a world full of people whose daily troubles aren't deciding which freshmen to socially destruct, but rather how they're going collect enough food for their families to eat."

Blair was about to object when Serena shot her a look, asking her to keep quiet and wait for Chuck's response. Blair rolled her eyes and turned to look at Chuck, waiting for him to say something.

Chuck simply snorted, taking another sip of his scotch. "First of all, Blair has Brooklyn to remind her of that. Secondly, what makes you think I care if Blair realizes that. And lastly, Blair and Serena are not visiting the slums. They'll be staying at places like the Ritz so that completely disqualifies your theory of Blair heightening her awareness of societal tragedies."

"Uh, yeah well," responded Dan, standing up from the couch across Chuck, lifting his hands up in mock surrender, "I give up. Sorry, Serena." Dan grabbed his book off the coffee table and made his way to his new room at the Van der Bass residence.

"Chuck, it's exactly like you said. Blair and I will be staying at fancy hotels, where there's a lot of security and nice people," said Serena, making an attempt at persuading Chuck herself.

"Rich people aren't nice. You've been friends with Blair and I for how long?" Chuck raised his eyebrow, daring Serena to refute his answer.

Serena continued on, "But, Chuck, we'll only be gone for two weeks! Blair will be back on the plane to JFK before you know it!"

Blair bit her lip and gave Chuck her best puppy dog eyes.

"Not happening, Waldorf."

Chuck got up from his spot as he headed to the bar to retrieve a refill of scotch for himself.

Blair gave a sigh of frustration and leaned back against the couch, crossing her arms in annoyance, before pouting her lips like she always did when she didn't get her way.

"Chuck, it's not like you can stop her from going anyways. She's going to go," said Serena, raising her voice as she stood up from the couch that Dan once occupied as well, walking towards Chuck.

"If Blair knows what's good for her, she won't. And if you know what's good for you, Sis, then I suggest you shut your mouth and go wash out some of that peroxide that's seeped through your brain," hissed Chuck.

"Ugh! You infuriate me, Basshole!" replied Serena, using one of Blair's nicknames for Chuck, then stomping her way towards the stairs and up to her room.

"I'm going home," stated Blair, gathering her purse and jacket.

Chuck left his scotch on the counter and went to stand in front of Blair.

"So early? We were just left alone. I thought we could make use of this rarity," Chuck huskily offered, sliding his hand down Blair's bare arm.

Blair involuntarily shuddered, but forced herself to pull away and made her way towards the elevator, only stopping to turn once she reached the awaiting doors. "Well, you thought wrong. Being alone won't be a rarity for you for awhile, " and with that, she stepped into the elevator and the doors closed.

Chuck downed the scotch that was left unfinished on the counter, clenching his teeth in agitation. It was going to be a long, fucking night.

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A/N: Okay, so this is my first real attempt at doing a fanfic story so hopefully you enjoyed the start of it and are interested in reading more! Please review and let me know what you think. It would be greatly appreciated! =]

*Oh and the line "maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it" is a quote by Jodi Picoult.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Blair, are you seriously not going to go to Europe with me just because Chuck doesn't want you to?" Serena looked at Blair incredulously.

"Chuck and I just started our relationship this summer and it's bad enough that we're already fighting. I just don't want to make it worse by going off on a Euro trip when he clearly doesn't want me to." Blair continued tracing the word "Europe" onto the comforter, as she lay on her stomach on Serena's bed.

"So suddenly Chuck's wearing the pants in your relationship? I thought it was always 'what Blair says goes'?"

Blair quickly sat up and frowned, almost yelling, "Chuck does no such thing! I am an independent woman living in a modern era and do not rely on a man to make my own decisions, thank you very much!"

Serena raised her eyebrow and gave her a 'you can't be serious' look, clearly not believing a word Blair was saying.

"It's true! S, I just don't want to upset Chuck because now that I'm in a relationship with him, I have to care about his feelings too. I want this to work. I **need** this to work."

"I know that, B, but sometimes you and Chuck aren't going to agree on certain issues and there will probably be a lot of crazy fights in the future, knowing just how stubborn you two are. C'mon, B, you can't just give into Chuck every time you disagree on something. And do you really think anything is going to happen to us in Europe? I've gone tons of times, and not always in a state of sobriety mind you, and I came back just fine!"

"True...and if you do return to your old habits, you'll definitely need me there to rescue you, and what kind of best friend would I be if I let you go alone, knowing there wouldn't be anyone to help you in time of need?" Blair bit her bottom lip, then grabbed the pillow by her side and threw herself backwards onto the bed, muffling her groan of frustration into the silk covered pillow. "Will he know if I just leave the city for two weeks?"

"Hmm, I don't know. Your boyfriend only has a P.I. as number one on his speed dial."

"How 'bout you tell him I got some horrible virus and have been quarantined until further notice?"

"Right because Blair Waldorf spends her time in places where viruses like those can be caught. I can just see it...'Hey, Chuck, sorry, but your girlfriend Blair caught the swine flu when she was taking her morning route via the subway. Yeah, and it really spread when she got to Brooklyn and used a public restroom. Don't worry, she'll be fine though!'"

"Serena, don't be stupid. I'd never do any of that."

Serena glared at Blair and threw her hands up in the air. "Obviously! Ugh, why don't you just tell him we're going somewhere else? We can say we're going to Miami to stay with my aunt Carol since it's a nice, safe getaway."

"Don't you think he'd be suspicious?" Blair cast a doubtful glance towards Serena.

"Not if we act annoyed and pissed off at him. We'll act bitter about it and as if we really have no other choice if we want to still have a vacation."

"I don't know, S..."

"Look, B...What other choice do we have?"

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"I don't know why you just won't let her go, Chuck? You've gone all the way to freakin' Thailand. I mean, you laid around whorehouses there and you're not going to let her go with Serena to some ridiculously expensive hotel in Europe?" Eric paused his current game of Wii tennis with Chuck, turning to face his step-brother with brows furrowed in confusion.

Chuck sighed in frustration and threw his head back as Eric brought up the subject for the third time that day. "Exactly, little one who has oh-so-much to learn. I have gone to Thailand and God knows where, which is why I know exactly what kind of people roam around abroad. Her safety isn't the same as it would be here." Chuck resumed the game and took a swing, tossing the tennis ball above the computerized net.

Eric pressed pause again, much to Chuck's dismay and annoyance. "Tons of teenage girls go with their friends to Europe. They've been just fine."

"Look, E. I don't know who bribed you into persuading me to let Blair go on this trip, but it's not happening. Tons of teenage girls **don't** come back from their Euro trips. In fact, tons of them are sold and trafficked. Plus, most teenage girls aren't dating billionaires. Why do you think my dad was so protective and watchful of Lily, Serena, and you? He didn't keep files on you guys so that he could get to know you guys better or what your favorite colors are. He did it because once you have that much money, a lot of people will try everything in their power to get it from you. And the best way to do that? Through your loved ones because you'll do anything for them, and God knows I'd do **anything** for Blair. So if you're done with your so-called attempt at convincing me to agree to this trip, I'd like to get back to kicking your ass at tennis."

Eric stared at Chuck for a moment longer before slowly nodding his head in agreement. "Sorry, you're right. I didn't mean to pressure you, Chuck. I guess, ultimately, you know what's best."

Chuck shook his head and chuckled, "Let's just hope you're not as much as a girl on the court as you are in real-life or else you really have no hope of making a comeback and beating me."

Eric grinned, pressed resume, and swung the ball out of the court boundaries.

"Hopeless," muttered Chuck.

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Chuck made his way towards his bedroom, only stopping after he heard giggles and bad pop music coming from Serena's bedroom. The bad music he was used to, but the giggles, no matter how often he heard from her bedroom, always intrigued him. The giggles were usually related to some naughty conversation between Serena and Blair. More often than not, the conversation included Chuck and resulted in Blair storytelling with a dreamy look on her face, and Serena making gagging noises in disgust.

But tonight, as he approached Serena's room and quietly eavesdropped behind her door, he found that the giggles were a result of something entirely different.

"Oh my god, that bathing suit is hideous, S! Why would you ever buy that?" shrieked Blair, eyes wide in shock.

Serena laughed and threw the bathing suit into the 'no-good' pile and proceeded folding some shorts before tossing them in her suitcase.

"What about this one, S? Too skanky?" Blair held up a skimpy, two-piece bikini, which was surprising to say the least since most of Blair's bathing suits were vintage style one-pieces.

"Wow, B. All the guys will totally be drooling over you in that! It for sure goes in the case!"

Blair giggled and tossed the bikini into her suitcase.

Chuck had enough of eavesdropping and decided to make his presence known after Serena's last comment.

"Ladies, maybe you should model those suits and get some approval for them before packing them in your cases, which brings me to the question, where do you plan on going?"

Blair rolled her eyes and continued tossing things into her suitcase. Serena turned to face Chuck, and gave him a nasty glare. "Chuck, first of all, it's called knocking. No one invited you in. Second of all, we don't need your approval for everything."

Chuck clenched his jaw in agitation and kept himself from spitting out a nasty remark.

Serena continued on, "And since you must know, we're going to Miami to stay with my aunt Carol since you won't let Blair go to Europe...and, for some reason, my dear best friend has decided to let you control her vacation destinations and agreed not to go to Europe. Miami is the next best thing, unless you find some fault in that as well?" Serena narrowed her eyes and gave him a fake smile.

Chuck pondered the idea for a moment, looking at Blair to study her reaction. She had glanced at Chuck after Serena was done explaining to catch his expression, but quickly looked down when he caught her looking. Chuck walked over to Blair and gently grabbed her arm.

"Is this true, Blair?" Chuck's eyes bore into the side of Blair's head until she stilled in her movements and slowly turned her face towards Chuck.

She knew Chuck could read her like an open book and was afraid her face would reveal all. She, however, used her years of practice with covering her true emotions and carefully placed a mask over her emotions so that she could maybe fool Chuck into letting her go. "Unfortunately, yes. I'd much rather spend my time at the Arc de Triomphe than on a beach in sticky, humid weather, but you've pretty much made that impossible, haven't you?"

Chuck let go of Blair's arm and ran his hand through his hair, apparently falling for her act. "Blair, I only want what's best for you. Now that we're dating and I'm heading Bass Inc., I have to be careful of not only my well-being and surroundings, but yours too. I love you and I just want you safe."

Blair felt a pang of guilt run through her and unconsciously bit her bottom lip like she always did when she worried. She chanced a brief glance towards Serena, only to see her shaking her head, as if to say 'don't give in!'

Blair put aside her feelings of guilt and gave a small smile to Chuck before responding, "I love you too, but you can't control everything Chuck. You can't keep me locked up like a favorite watch in your safe."

"What if I kept you in a really nice penthouse instead?" Chuck asked, wrapping an arm around her waist and using his free hand to grab one of her curls that was framing her face before tucking it behind her ear.

Blair rolled her eyes and shook her head no. Chuck felt a sliver of disappointment even though he knew she'd never agree to his request. "But, Blair, promise me you won't go to Europe just yet? I may not be able to control everything, but that won't stop me from trying, especially when it comes to you. I can't afford not to try with you. You're everything to me."

Blair no longer felt a pang of guilt, but rather a flood of the emotion wash over her. She briefly closed her eyes to avoid Chuck's pleading eyes and calmly lied, "Okay."

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A/N: Hope you liked this chapter, please please review and let me know what you guys thought about it! I really want to know! =]


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for those of you have reviewed...please continue, it reminds me that some people out there actually are reading my story! And they make me super happy! =]

Disclaimer: I own nada!

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Blair was about to press the elevator button to go down before she stopped and turned around, facing Serena. "S, I just have a really bad feeling about this. Did you see Chuck's face last night? He was as close to begging as Chuck Bass will ever come."

Serena sighed and slunk her shoulders down. "B, Chuck is just being overly protective. He's been spending all his time with you and he probably just can't stand the thought of being away from you, even if it's only for two weeks."

Blair nodded and turned around to press the button, but stopped abruptly again, and bit her bottom lip. "But what if he finds out Serena? What if his P.I. tracks us down and tells him where we really are? Oh my god! What if Chuck decides to make a surprise visit and comes down to Miami only to find out that we're really sipping from wine in some italian vineyard!?"

Serena set down her carry-on, pressed the elevator button, and grabbed both of Blair's shoulders. "B, breathe." Blair nodded and took in a deep breath and was about to open her mouth to voice another fear, but Serena cut her off. "Blair, stop freaking out. You're going to ruin your trip if all you plan on doing is checking over your shoulder for Chuck every second. Plus, you know how busy he is with Bass Industries. He will probably be sitting in the same spot when you get back, right behind that big mahogany desk. So just relax and stop acting like you're on the run from the police. Capeesh?"

Blair narrowed her eyes, giving Serena the death glare before relenting and rolling her eyes. "Fine, but if Chuck and I are no longer together after this trip, you will have to deal with the wrath of Blair Waldorf."

Serena bit back the response she wanted to give, which was somewhere along the lines of her having to already deal with Blair's wrath on multiple occasions, and instead replied with a brief nod before dragging her through the open doors into the elevator.

After the doors closed, Blair turned to face Serena. "By the way, do you think they've got good cell phone reception? You know...in case Chuck calls me?"

Serena turned her head towards Blair to give her an incredulous look right as Blair broke out into giggles. Serena shook her head, but couldn't help the grin that broke out on her face. "Oh, B..."

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Blair and Serena followed Arthur who greeted them once they stepped off the elevator and took their baggage from them. Chuck was waiting by the limo, talking on his cell phone over what seemed like a business deal. Serena got into the limo as Arthur opened the door for her and looked towards Blair.

Blair held up her index finger, signifying she'd get in in a moment. Chuck put his hand on Blair's upper arm just as he ended his phone call. "Pompous bastard thinks he gets the rights to the building site after all the hard work the company went through to establish the place."

Blair bit her lip, a habit that was becoming more and more frequent, slightly nodding like she knew what he was talking about.

Chuck noticed her nervous gesture and asked, "Is everything okay, Blair?"

"Yeah!" Blair replied, her voice a pitch too high.

Chuck cast her a doubtful glance, but shook it off when Blair smiled at him. "So, you guys will be gone for two weeks to stay with Lily's sister?"

"Yes, Chuck. We went over the itinerary multiple times."

"And you're sure dear Aunt Carol has left her drug-experimenting ways behind her? I don't want some drug gang to bust through her house while you guys are there."

"Chuck," Blair exasperatedly responded.

Chuck looked at Blair, completely serious, as if the concern he had just voiced was just as common as other every day worries.

"Chuck, I'm going to be fine. Enlarged pores and frizzy hair, most likely, but still in tact. Please just promise you won't be spying on me with your P.I.?"

Chuck raised an eyebrow and tilted his head slightly to the side. "Why? Is there anything you're hiding?"

"No!" Blair blushed at her quick response before replying more calmly, "No. Nothing at all. It's just Serena is already pissed we had to change plans and you having your own little detective following us is probably going to annoy her to no end."

"I don't care about annoying Serena."

Blair put a hand on his chest, using her other to smooth Chuck's suit lapels down. She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Chuck? She was really upset before and I just want this to be a fun trip for her too."

Chuck sighed, turning his head to look at the limo, as if he could see through the dark, tinted windows. He looked back at Blair and rubbed his thumb over her cheek. Blair gave him a shy smile and he gave her a small smile back. "Fine, but if you need anything or you feel unsafe at all, you better call me, Waldorf."

Blair nodded and leaned forward to give Chuck a kiss. After, he pulled back and put his forehead against hers. "I mean it, Blair."

"I know and I love you for caring so much. I'll call you, promise."

Blair turned to get in the limo, but Chuck tugged on her arm, stopping her. "Not so fast, Waldorf. If I'm not going to see you for two weeks, I expect a better, longer kiss than that."

Blair smirked before leaning towards him again and grabbing the back of his neck to give him a deep, passionate kiss.

Chuck's eyes slowly opened once she let go and he asked, "How bout you take the later flight?"

Blair grinned then shook her head. "Bye, Chuck."

Chuck gave her a sly smile, "Bye, Blair," and watched as she got in and the limo pulled away from the curb and into traffic.

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"It's only been ten minutes, Chuck."

Chuck looked up from his spot on the couch to see Nate standing in front of him, giving him what Nate probably thought was a smirk.

"I'm aware, Nathaniel. It's also been a month since high school ended, but your need to state the obvious is still as strong as ever."

Nate rolled his eyes before slumping down on the couch next to Chuck.

"They'll be back in two weeks. Plus, this could be your chance to throw another Lost Weekend party."

Chuck smiled as he fondly remembered the infamous party. "It was a fantastic weekend..."

"Exactly. What do you say? Some good scotch, naked women, the best hash...you in?"

Chuck seemed to ponder the idea for a second before shaking his head. "Nathaniel, Blair would have my head on a silver platter if I so much as looked at another girl, nevertheless, a naked girl."

"Okay, so we won't have naked women. We'll just have scantily clad women hanging around, serving drinks and lap dances to the guys who don't have girlfriends."

Chuck looked doubtful, "I don't know..."

"C'mon, Chuck. When are we ever going to have a chance to throw a party like this any time soon? You won't have to even touch the women. Just smoke up and throw back a few drinks. For old times' sake?"

"I guess I could relieve some stress while I have all this time alone. But you breathe a word of this to Blair and I swear I'll cut your man-bangs off in your sleep, Archibald." Chuck gave a menacing glare to emphasize the fact that he was deadly serious.

Nate nodded and stood up. "Don't worry about it, man. I got it all taken care of."

"How comforting...," Chuck replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes before taking the last sip of his scotch.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you so much to those of you who have reviewed, I appreciate it tons! Sorry it took me a while to update. I got caught up with schoolwork and such. Please review though, it totally motivates me to put aside my work and write!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything!

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"Grandfather."

The older Vanderbuilt looked up from his office desk where he had been shuffling papers around and conversing with his secretary. He gave her a brief nod, dismissing her from his office.

She grabbed some papers and gave a small smile to the visitor as she quickly made her way out.

"Nathaniel. Please, sit."

Nate sat down in the plush leather chair opposite of the desk his grandfather was sitting at.

"How are you doing? How's your mother?"

Nate hesitantly opened his mouth to speak, unsure of his grandfather's motives. "Fine. We're both fine."

"Good, good. I had spoken with your mother recently and she was still a bit upset about your father's absence. I assured her that you did the right thing, that this was best."

Nate nodded, but stared intently at the frame on his grandfather's desk. Inside was a picture of him and his grandfather when he had been eight years old. His grandfather had an arm slung around Nate's shoulders, while Nate smiled brightly at the camera, holding a football in his hand.

The older Vanderbuilt looked towards the picture Nate had directed his gaze at and smiled. "Tag football on Thanksgiving. You won the game for our family."

After staring at the picture for a few moments longer, Nate looked up to see his grandfather giving him the very same, slight smile that he had once given in the photo. Nate frowned as he realized that if his grandfather's smile was insincere now, then that very same smile in the photo was most likely just as cold and distant then. He had just been too oblivious to notice at his young age.

"Nathaniel. You've always wanted the best for our family, always helped in any way you could. Your loyalty and trust worthiness are rare qualities to find in most people. That's why I want you to join the Vanderbuilt empire. You're young, bright, and have new ideas that the company could make use of."

Nate looked at his grandfather with his mouth hanging slightly open before closing it and clenching his jaw. "I already said that I didn't want-"

"I know. You didn't want to join me in the political arena. This, however, is different. This is a business proposition, nothing political at all."

Nate shook his head in confusion, "Why now? And I know plenty of people who are loyal and know much more about business than I do."

The older Vanderbuilt smiled at Nate, belittling him with the expression before replying, "No one is as trustworthy as family. The Vanderbuilt empire is a family-based establishment. And why not now? You are just starting your future and what better way to start it than with some great career experience?"

Nate opened his mouth to speak, but his grandfather interrupted, "Think about this, son. Not only is our whole family relying on you and your fellow cousins, our future generation, to keep the Vanderbuilt legacy alive, but your mother is as well. Your mother is depending on you now. She's been shunned from many of her social circles after your father's indiscretions and this is the perfect way for her to gain an opening back into the world she loves. For her son to be a part of the Vanderbuilt company...why, she'd immediately have VIP entrance into the Upper East Side's exclusive social network. Your mother just hasn't been the same since she left it."

Nate continued looking at his grandfather with narrowed eyes before averting his gaze to the window. He took a deep breath before replying, "What would I do?"

His grandfather folded his hands on his desk and smiled what anyone else would have described as sinister, but to Nate, seemed completely normal. It was his grandfather's only smile.

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"I honestly don't know how I'm expected to live off of a 3 oz bottle of shampoo. And did you see what they did with my Chanel No. 5? They dumped it all out, Serena. That should be illegal. Who do they think they are? If we were going on the Bass jet-"

"But we can't be on the Bass jet because that would mean Chuck would know that we're not really going to Florida." Serena glared at Blair as she closed the overhead compartment above her plane seat.

Blair gave her an equally murderous glare before replying, "Well, Serena, we wouldn't have to be going through any of this if we had just been honest with Chuck in the first place and really gone to Florida."

Serena gave Blair an incredulous look. "Blair, do you really want to go to Florida?"

"Of course not, S. But do I really want to be flying commercial?"

Serena shook her head and flipped her hair over her shoulder before leaning back against the seat. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for a flight full of Blair's constant complaining. How Chuck put up with her, she didn't know. Heck, how she put up with Blair for so long was a miracle in itself.

"S? You better not be sleeping. You know how I feel about flying, let alone on something that rarely passes safety standards only realized after its been crashed and flown by inadequately certified pilots. Stay awake!"

"Blair, if you don't shut up soon, I'm going to tell you about the failed attempt of a plane leaving JFK to take off two days ago."

Blair's head whipped away from Serena towards the window as she looked frantically around to see if the runway looked unsuitable in anyway. A flight attendant made her way down the aisle, smiling politely at passengers. Blair stood up and grabbed the attendant's wrist, alarming the attendant as she asked, "Is the plane okay? Have the engines been checked? No broken wings? Enough fuel? Because my father and step-father are both very prominent lawyers and if anything should happen to me, your asses will be sued in a matter of-"

"Miss! Please calm down. I assure you that the pilots have been given the okay. Now if you would please let go of me. I can get you something to relieve your anxiety if you'd like?"

Blair let go of the woman's wrist before looking around to find all of the people seated around her looking at her with their mouths hanging open. Blair smoothed her dress down and quietly sat down, shaking her head 'no' to the flight attendant.

The flight attendant gave her a tight smile before continuing her way down the aisle.

Blair chanced a glance up at Serena only to find her looking at Blair in shock.

"What? I had to make sure!"

Serena was about to open her mouth, but was cut off as an attendant's voice came on over the speaker instructing everyone to fasten their seat belts and prepare for take off. Blair pulled on her seat belt until it was almost bruising her waist. She grabbed onto the arm rests, knuckles white from her firm grip, and closed her eyes, willing herself to remain calm. Why did she listen to Serena? She could have been home laying in bed with Chuck right now, in post-coital bliss, ordering her favorites off Bendel's website. The thought of Chuck instantly remind her of the fact that he had no idea she was really on her way to Europe. A pang of guilt was added to her feelings of fear and anxiety, only making her feel more sick.

Why, oh why was she such a horrible girlfriend?

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Chuck watched as more and more items were brought into his suite, ranging from handles of alcohol to strip poles.

"Mr. Bass, where would you like this?" one of the party rental guys asked.

Chuck looked over at the item the guy was struggling to hold up. It was a big fondue fountain in the shape of a naked woman and chocolate was currently spilling out the statue's lips and breasts. Chuck cringed at the tacky display and pointed to his bar.

He was going to kill Nathaniel. He hung up the call after it went to Nate's voicemail for what seemed like the millionth time. He didn't want to have the party in the first place. The whole thing was Nate's idea and Nate wasn't even there to set up the ordeal.

If only Blair could see what Chuck's suite looked like at the moment. She'd probably break up with him right then and there. Another mover came through the doorway, dropping an item off on the floor. Chuck looked up, startled, fearing that it was somehow Blair coming into his suite. Maybe she changed her mind about the trip and came back to see him.

Chuck rolled his eyes at the absurdity of it all and considered calling Blair. He knew she was on a plane right now with no service, but he wanted to leave her a voicemail. The fact that he considered doing this made him a sap, but what could he do? Blair Waldorf had changed him. The fact that Chuck didn't find any of the party rentals amusing or the fact that he didn't find having a repeat of "The Lost Weekend" enticing was proof in itself. But he wouldn't have it any other way.

Chuck smiled as he scrolled over Blair's name in his phonebook and found the picture of her glaring at him that he had attached to her number. He pressed call and waited for her voicemail so he could leave a message.

Chuck smirked after hearing her recorded greeting, walking into the bathroom for some privacy.

"Hey, baby. Just wanted to let you know that I've been thinking about you. Actually thinking about that special goodbye you gave me last night. If I had known farewells were treated in such manner, why I would have suggested you go on a few more trips. But then again, I have felt rather lonely without your presence. I've been left with only the memory of you purring in my ear and the image of those luscious lips parting from the undeniable pleasure I gave you...over and over and over again. Try not to become too sexually deprived while you're away, although, that might work well for me when you get back. I do love when you're exceptionally eager. Stay safe and call me if you need anything. Love you, Waldorf."

Chuck grinned as he pressed end, but his grin quickly faded and turned into a grimace when he came out of the bathroom. There in front of him was one of the movers hanging his head to the side, with his mouth open in an attempt to catch the flowing chocolate coming out of the fondue statue's breast.

Nathaniel was a dead man.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Yay thank you to all my readers, especially those of you who left reviews! I love reading about what you guys think. It really does inspire me to keep writing!

Disclaimer: I own nothingggg :(

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Chuck sat on the couch in his suite, scotch in hand, looking in disdain at the half-dressed women fawning over all the other males in the room. He was surprised he ever found any of these trashy women entertaining. At least the models he and Blair scouted for for their game were decent to look at.

Chuck slouched further down the couch, resting his head back, downing the last couple drops of scotch. He looked at the bottom of his glass to find it completely empty, scowling over the fact that he now had no alcohol and no energy to get himself a refill. Usually he'd ask one of the bimbo cocktail servers to get him some, but the last one didn't get the fact that Chuck was not interested in her and he practically had to throw her off of him.

The fact that Nate wasn't even at the party yet was really pissing him off too. What the fuck was up with that? Nathaniel clearly lost some more brain cells over the summer. Chuck gave a look of disgust as he concluded that Nate's increasing stupidity was most likely a result of all the time he had been slumming around in Brooklyn.

As if on cue, Nate walked into Chuck's suite looking angry and definitely not in the mood to be festive. Nate spotted Chuck and headed over to where he was sitting. He grabbed a bottle of vodka off one of the server's trays and threw himself down on the couch. He untwisted the cap and took a chug of the bitter fluid and looked straight ahead.

"Well, Nathaniel. I'd say great party, but I like to think our friendship is based on honesty. I mean really, what the hell were you thinking with the naked woman fondue fountain?"

Nate remained silent, only giving Chuck a quick glare before turning to focus his gaze straight ahead again.

"Why are you so late, anyways? Made a stop in Brooklyn?"

Nate remained quiet, taking another swig from his bottle.

"I didn't know they moved on from pick-pocketing wallets and purses to stealing speech capabilities."

"I don't want to talk about, Chuck."

Chuck held his gaze on Nate for a few moments longer before leaning his head back on the couch.

Nate pulled out a bag of hash and tipped his head towards the balcony. Chuck shook his head and glanced in the other direction at the bar.

"I need a refill first," explained Chuck.

Nate nodded, "Meet me on the balcony," and proceeded towards the double doors that led outside.

Chuck put his phone down on the bar and began digging through the cabinets for the bottle of scotch he had hidden. He found the bottle, pursing his lips as he read the label and unscrewed the top. He took a swig and sighed, making his way towards the balcony, completely forgetting about his phone.

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"Serena! Stop walking so fast! Some of us don't have giraffe legs to make such big strides," Blair complained, lugging her heavy suitcases from the baggage claim to the exit.

Serena rolled her eyes and slowed down her pace. "B, c'mon! Three flights have landed in the past half hour, all the taxis are going to be taken!"

Blair glared at the back of Serena's head. If looks could kill...well, Serena Van der Woodsen would have been long dead.

"I understand that, S," said Blair, emphasizing the S with a lower tone, "however, unlike American men, French men seem to know nothing about being a gentleman and helping a struggling lady with her luggage!"

Serena ignored Blair and made her way outside. She squealed and clapped her hands as she stepped onto the sidewalk. "B, we're really here! Je love Paris!"

Blair raised her eyebrow and was about to protest to Serena's attempt at speaking French, but Serena started to wave her arm in the air to get a cab. "Hey! Excuse me!"

The taxi near them continued on, ignoring Serena and her shouts.

Blair stood, looking down at her manicured nails, before suggesting in a knowing tone "Well, we could always call for limo service..."

"No, B! A limo would require us to use a good chunk of the cash we have on hand and then we'd have to use a credit card. Why do you think I booked the hotels we're staying at with my mom's card? You know what happens when we start using our credit card..."

"S, Chuck is not going to track us down by checking out where we're using our credit cards."

"Um, excuse me, but do you even know who your boyfriend is? I feel like I have to keep reminding you that he's got a P.I. on speed dial."

"You were the one that told me not to worry about Chuck following us so much! See, now you really do think he's going to find out! And then we'll be broken up and I'll end up all alone till I'm gray and old. I'll probably have tons of cats and never leave my house."

"Blair, I still don't think Chuck is going to find out, but that's only if you give him no reason to. Using your card, well, you might as well just take a picture of yourself in front of the eiffel tower and send it to him."

Blair rolled her eyes before groaning in frustration. "But, Serena, my feet hurt in these heels and I've gotten more of a workout lugging these suitcases than I've ever had in my life! I just want to get to the hotel and take a nice, long bubble bath."

"And you will. Just be patient, B." Serena looked at the street again, stepping on her tip toes to try and spot a cab among all the people getting in and out of cars.

A man in jeans and a simple t-shirt walked up to Blair and tapped her on the shoulder. Blair turned and gave the guy a look of disgust. Why was he smiling at her like that? And why was he so happy? She certainly wasn't.

"Excusez-moi, I couldn't help but overhear your converzation with your friend. You two are American?"

Blair kept the look of disgust on her face, but Serena smiled brightly back at the man who spoke with a French accent.

Serena stuck her hand out to shake the French man's before replying, "Yes! You're French?"

Blair gave Serena an incredulous look as if to say 'duh!' She turned her body away from the French man, dismissing him from her presence, but the man continued to smile at Serena.

"Oui! Are you staying in ze city?"

Serena nodded excitedly, "Yes, but we can't seem to get a ride to our hotel!"

The French man's smile became wider, "Don't worry, I know ze guys that drive ze taxis, you can ride with me, if you like. My name iz Olivier."

Serena squealed, "Oh my gosh, thank you! That would be great! I'm Serena, and this is my friend Blair."

Blair whipped her head towards Serena, "S!" She gave the French man a fake smile before pulling Serena towards her and whispering, "We don't even know this guy! What are you doing?! He could be a serial killer or a rapist for all we know!"

Serena looked over her shoulder and found the French man conversing with a taxi driver. "B, he looks like a normal guy. And he says he knows the taxi drivers here. Look, he's even gotten one of them to stop."

"Yeah, probably after he threatened the guy with a gun! I am not getting in the car with him."

"He did not threaten him. The taxi driver is smiling, he doesn't look like he was just held against his will at gun point."

"I am **not** getting in the cab with him," replied Blair, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Fine, have it your way. You can just wait here until one of the cabs stop for you. And if they don't, you can just walk all the way to the hotel in your heels with your heavy luggage."

Blair lifted her chin up, keeping her arms crossed, refusing to budge from her spot.

Serena shrugged and walked towards the French man and the driver, nodding that she would accept the ride. The French man appeared to have inquired about Blair since he looked over at Blair with a confused frown. Serena glanced briefly at Blair before facing Olivier again. She shook her head 'no' before allowing the driver to put her luggage in the trunk. Blair watched and bit her lip, scared about being left alone. Just as the driver was about to close the trunk, Blair grabbed her suitcase and yelled, "Wait!" She briskly walked towards the driver and placed her suitcase in front of him. "Be careful, it's Prada," and with that she got into the car with Serena and Olivier right behind her.

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"I told you he was normal, Blair. You just have to think the worse about people."

Blair ignored Serena as she continued her tour of their hotel suite. It was actually the hotel's penthouse and was located on the highest floor. She made her way towards the bathroom and admired the big marble tub. She looked out the bathroom window, which gave a view of the balcony and a view of the window on the opposite side of the balcony. She remained in her spot, looking across the balcony into the other window only to find a view of their living room. Serena appeared behind the window, looking down as she turned on some music. She began dancing to some 80's song in front of the window, oblivious to the fact that Blair could see her. Blair rolled her eyes and moved to lock the bathroom door.

She sighed in relief as she realized that Serena would be distracted for awhile and Blair would be able to check her phone for any missed calls from Chuck. She smiled as she saw he had called and left a message for her. She put the phone to her ear and smirked as she listened to it. Her cheeks flushed as she also recalled the memory of their last night together before the trip. Blair continued listening as she made her way back to the spot by the window and watched Serena dancing.

She smiled and looked down at her phone once the message ended and flipped her phone shut. She looked back up at the window and felt all the air rush out of her lungs. She put a hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming. Her heart started beating erratically as she watched the scene unfold before her.

Serena had been grabbed by two men, getting her mouth duct taped shut and her arms tied together behind her. Serena was attempting to scream and make her way out of the two guys' hold, but they only held onto her tighter dragging her away from Blair's view. Blair grabbed onto the counter with one hand and put her other hand on her chest, trying to keep her heart from, what she felt like, would explode out of her.

The men turned off the music and Blair quickly made her way to the bathroom door and put her ear against it, straining to hear the two men. She heard Serena's muffled screams through the duct tape and felt herself choking on the limited oxygen she was getting into her lungs at the moment.

"Where's the other girl?" one of the men called out.

"I don't know. She has to be here, though. Olivier said they were both dropped off here."

Blair's eyes widened at the mention of the 'friendly' stranger they had met at the airport. If Blair wasn't so scared out of her mind for Serena and herself, she would have basked in an A-ha moment.

"Well, find her! She's the one we have to get."

Blair put her hand over her mouth again and quickly ran over to the other side of the bathroom and flipped open her phone. She scrolled through her phonebook and called the only person she wanted with her right then at that moment.

"Pick up, pick up! Come on, Chuck. Please!" Blair paced back and forth on the plush rug in the bathroom, hands trembling from fear.

_____________

Chuck laughed as he downed another glass of scotch. He had lost count of how many drinks he had had, but it didn't matter because he was finally enjoying himself.

"Archibald, I have to say, this party isn't so bad."

Nate, after much alcohol and a good smoke, had finally gotten over his foul mood that had lingered since the meeting with his grandfather. Nate grinned at Chuck. "Want more?" Nate pointed towards Chuck's empty glass. Chuck tossed his glass to Nate and threw himself down on the couch, not even minding anymore when the bimbo servers scooted closer to him and began talking to him.

Nate walked over to the bar and set the glass down on the counter. He reached for a bottle of scotch and poured it into the glass, stopping when saw something moving near him on the counter. He realized it was a phone vibrating and reached for it. He looked at the cover and realized it was Chuck's before peering down at the screen to find Blair's name flashing, indicating that she was calling.

He looked over at Chuck only to find him lighting up on the couch next to two girls who were smiling flirtaciously at him. He looked back down at the screen and decided that it wouldn't matter if Chuck didn't talk to Blair for one night. They had been spending the whole summer together. Plus, it was the Lost Weekend, meaning no girlfriends allowed.

Nate grabbed the phone and put it inside a drawer in the bar area so that no one would take it. He then proceeded to filling Chuck's glass with scotch before heading back towards the couch.

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Blair felt tears well up in her eyes when she only got Chuck's voicemail as an answer. She couldn't keep her voice from shaking as she left him a message.

"Chuck! Oh God! Please don't hate me, but I'm not really in Miami. I'm in Paris," Blair paused as she heard footsteps becoming louder in the hallway. "Two guys broke into our room and they've got Serena and now they're coming for me. Chuck," Blair began crying into the phone when she heard the men rattling the door knob, trying to get in. "Please, Chuck, you have to come get us! They're going to take me too, you have to hurry! We're staying at the Hotel," but didn't finish the name of the hotel and instead screamed as the men broke down the door that very second. One of the men grabbed Blair and tied her hands together and covered her mouth with duct tape, as they had done to Serena. Blair tried kicking the man, but his grip on her was too strong. She tried wiggling her body free, but the man only yanked on her hair to stop her. The other guy who was holding onto Serena shoved her towards his partner and Blair, bending down to grab the dropped cell phone.

The guy looked at the screen only to find that the call hadn't been ended. After putting the phone to his ear and realizing a message was being recorded, he spoke, "Bass, you should have known better."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Ahh, thanks for the reviews...you guys are all so kind and I'm sorry for leaving you guys in suspense last time! Sorry for grammar/spelling errors in my chapters...I know it's no excuse, but I write these pretty late at night and even with proofreading them a couple times, I still don't catch them all. So please forgive me!

Disclaimer: I own nothin'!

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The air smelled of booze, smoke, and something equally nauseating on that very morning, where Chuck woke up on the couch with a throbbing headache and sick stomach. This was it, this was the day Chuck's liver would completely fail on him. The poor organ had worked so hard for him, dealt with Chuck's love for copious amounts of alcohol for years. But Chuck had never felt as sick in his life as he did this morning, including his alcoholic rampage after his father's death.

His whole body felt heavy as he lay on the couch, struggling to understand his surroundings. His eyelids slowly opened, but shut just as quickly when a bright light in front of him blinded his vision. After lying there for a few minutes longer, Chuck felt for the arm of the couch and grasped it to pull himself up in a sitting position. Using his hand as a cap over his eyes to shield the bright light, he looked around to decipher his location. Once he realized he was in his suite and the bright light was coming from the windows, the previous night was gradually remembered.

Guys he knew, and some he most definitely did not, lie passed out on the floor with a variety of girls by their sides. Empty bottles of alcohol lay strewn across the suite, some broken and others formed into pyramids.

Chuck snorted at the stupidity of it all. How did Nathaniel convince him that this party was a good idea? Where was Archibald anyway?

Chuck slowly got up and started hunting around the suite for Nate. He looked in his bedroom, the bar area, behind the couches in the living room, and lastly, because it was always a possibility with Nate, outside on the balcony. Chuck shrugged over Nate's absence and went over to his bar to create his own hangover cure. He opened a cabinet to get his blender out and was about to open the drawer to get a necessary ingredient when there was a knock on the door. Forgetting about the concoction he was preparing, Chuck walked over and swung the door open, only to be greeted by Nate.

"Hey, man. You're up?" Nate walked into the suite past Chuck, making sure to step over the sleeping bodies on the floor.

Chuck rolled his eyes, but stopped halfway through the gesture when his head started pounding from the exaggerated optical movement.

"More and more perceptive each day, Nathaniel."

Nate ignored him and grinned as he looked at the evidenciary mess from the previous night. "Last night was great, huh?"

"Terrific," replied Chuck, sarcastically. He made his way back to the bar to finish his remedy, but Nate stopped him once he reached the counter.

"Woah, what are you doing, Chuck?"

Chuck gave Nate an incredulous look, "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"But man, a blender? People are still sleeping!"

"And I care because...?"

"C'mon, man. That's just evil. You would **not** have wanted to wake up to someone blending a drink."

"I didn't want to wake up with a hangover, but I guess we don't always get what we want, now do we?" Chuck glared at Nate, grabbing his temple as he felt another shooting pain run through his head.

"Hey," said Nate, lifting his hands up in mock surrender, "that was all you."

"Right, I came up with the brilliant idea of another Lost Weekend. Where were you this morning anyways?"

Nate visibly tensed and looked everywhere else but Chuck's face as he replied, "You know, I just went for my morning jog."

Chuck narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "A jog? Nathaniel, correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure you were there with me last night, drinking almost as much as I did, and I like to think I can hold my liquor well by now. But right now? My head is throbbing and I can barely stand. You're meaning to tell me you woke up and went for a jog? Really?"

Nate stuck his hands in his pockets, pausing a moment before replying, "Yeah...it was no big deal, I'm used to it."

"So you mean that wasn't you last night singing Billy Idol after we shared a bottle? I mean clearly alcohol has no effect on you..."

Nate rolled his eyes before crossing his arms. "What's up with the suspicious questions anyways? I went for a jog, who cares? Now do you want to go eat something or what?"

Chuck held his gaze on Nate for a moment longer before looking down, then back up with a smirk on his face. He knew Nate was lying, but he really didn't have the mental capability right now to pry the truth out of him. "Only if it's on your tab, Archibald."

Nate grinned and nodded, "Deal."

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Blair opened her eyes only to find blackness surrounding her. She was apparently in a dark room and had been laid on a bed as far as she could tell. Her lips felt torn and blistered, most likely from the duct tape that had been ripped off of her right before they....

Oh, yeah...knocked her out by carelessly tossing her onto the bed, therefore, causing her to slam her head against the headboard. She felt her heart rate quicken as she remembered what happened to her...hours ago? It sure felt like it had been hours.

At least she hadn't suffered any brain damage...yet. Speaking of brains, or lack thereof, where was Serena? Blair strained her eyes to see if she could make out another body next to her since she couldn't feel for the girl with her own arms still tied together behind her.

Blair opened her mouth to speak, but found her throat dry and her attempt at forming words only came out as hoarse groan. She had screamed so much earlier, even with the duct tape over her mouth, that the men who had kidnapped her had shoved her into this isolated to room to shut her up. She didn't remember Serena being pushed into the room with her, but some things were still unclear about what had happened, most likely from the impact of her head banging against the board.

Well, either way, she couldn't just sit there and wait for whatever the men were planning. She had to figure out what was going on. Knowing her legs were tied together with a rope around her ankles, Blair tried scooting herself towards the edge of the bed using her butt and the heels of her feet. She made it to the edge and slowly slid herself off the bed and onto her feet. She unanticipated the great distance from the edge of the bed to the floor, however, and fell forward onto her knees once her feet hit the ground. She felt tears of frustration stinging her eyes as she was faced with the reality of her situation again.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she used her knees to propel herself upward and, with careful balance, straightened her knees so that she was finally standing. She hopped her way over towards the door, grimacing as she thought about how pathetic she probably looked jumping around like a rabbit or kangaroo. If only the girls at Constance could see her now. Penelope would have a field day over the scene.

The fact that she was worrying over what she looked like rather than where the hell she was did not seem the least bit strange to the Queen B herself, therefore, it was a fact that went unrealized.

Blair put her ear against the door, trying to quiet her own breathing, which had become more of a pant as she had struggled to make her way across the room. Once she quieted down, she strained to pick up on any sounds outside the room.

After she was met with silence, she felt a shiver of fear run through her when she realized that she could potentially be alone in some random building at some random location with no one to see, hear, or talk to and with no way of being tracked down.

Blair felt her legs going numb as she leaned against the door, with her body gradually sliding down to the floor. She brought her knees in and rest her chin on top of them, waiting for something...anything to happen.

Chuck would find her. He probably had all of the police in Paris looking for her at this very moment.

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Chuck came back home to his suite around 3 o'clock that afternoon, feeling much better than he did in the morning. Breakfast in the morning with Nate and some basketball after had been nice. It was weird how much he missed hanging out with his best friend. He had figured that once he and Blair had become a...couple - Chuck grimaced at thought - he wouldn't need any one other than Blair in his life. But today made him realize that it was nice to have another male companion around. Especially a guy that he had grown up with such as Nate.

Nate had his blonde moments, but he was simple, and simplicity was something he craved nowadays with Bass Industries being so hectic and energy-consuming. He liked that Nate was just easy to be around.

The suite was still a mess, but Chuck would have it cleaned later. He threw his key onto the coffee table and glanced around for his phone. Where was the damn thing?

He had no clue what he had done with it the night before and started searching for it by looking underneath the couch cushions. He had spent most of the night on the couch and was pretty sure he must have dropped it somewhere around there. He continued looking around the suite when it wasn't found on the couch, looking on all the table tops, his bed, the bar counter, and his room, but his phone was no where to be found. He decided to just worry about it later and made his way to the bathroom to turn on the shower. Just as he was about to undress himself and get in, there was a knock on the door. Chuck made his way over and opened it.

"Mr. Bass. I'm sorry to bother you, but you had a package delivered and I was asked to make sure it was personally received by you." The front desk employee held a brown package out towards Chuck, politely smiling as he waited for him to take it.

Chuck frowned, "Who is it from?"

"I'm sorry, Sir, but the man wouldn't disclose the information."

Chuck narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but nodded anyways and took the package. Just as he was about to close the door, he stopped and called out, "Hey!"

The front desk man stop walking away and turned expectantly towards Chuck.

"Could you order me a new Blackberry Bold? I seem to have misplaced mine. And get it quickly?"

"Of course, Mr. Bass. I'll have it delivered by tonight."

Chuck nodded, shut the door, and began to tear open the package. He pulled some of the papers out and shuffled through them. They were the documents for various buildings that Bass Inc. owned. Chuck furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Why the hell was someone sending him copies of contracts for buildings he already knew the company owned?

He was reminded of the shower he had been ready to take when he heard the water still running. He set the papers down and decided to just ignore them for now. Until he got a new phone, he really couldn't do anything, especially since he wouldn't be able to get a hold of his P.I.

Chuck took off his clothes and tossed them onto the floor as he got into the shower that only a Bass could afford.

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Blair moved away from the door as quickly as she could when she heard a key being placed into the door's lock. She sat against the wall, holding her breath as the door was opened.

Someone walked into the center of the room, and from what Blair could hear, seemed to have pulled a chain of some sort before the room was flooded with light.

Blair's eyes shut quickly, not yet adjusted to the harsh, bright light hanging from the ceiling.

"What are you doing over there?" a man grunted, walking towards the spot where Blair was currently sitting. She crouched her head and shoulders inward, afraid of what the man would do. When she was left untouched, she slowly looked up at the man's face and instantly recognized him as the man who had originally tied her up.

"What? You can't talk now?" the man leaned down and picked up a struggling Blair.

Blair felt anger seep through her as the man grabbed onto her shoulders and pulled her up. "Let go of me! Let me go this instant!" yelled Blair, trying to elbow the man in the stomach.

The man growled and threw her over his shoulder, finding she was more disabled this way.

"Do you know who you're messing with here? I swear to God, my boyfriend will kill all of you for this! In fact, he's got a whole squad looking for you guys right now just waiting to watch you guys die through slow, painful deaths!"

The man tossed Blair onto the bed and grabbed another rope off the floor, ignoring her ridiculous threats.

Blair tried to mask her fear by threatening the man, but she knew it was no use since her voice was shaking and she knew that her panic was clearly showing through.

The man pushed Blair against the headboard and placed the rope against her stomach, wrapping it around her front and all the way around the headboard, keeping her effectively tied in place.

Blair felt a sob make its way to her throat and she bit on her bottom lip from crying hysterically in front of the man. As he continued wrapping the rope around her and the headboard to secure her in place, Blair willed herself to remain calm.

"Please," she resorted to begging since her angry shouts hadn't gotten her anywhere yet, "don't do this. **Please**."

As he pulled the two ends of the rope together against Blair's stomach, he looked up at her as he started tying the ends into a knot.

Blair's eyes were brimming with tears and even with all the struggle she had gone through, her curls were still perfectly coiffed, framing her face. She looked like a sad, porcelain doll, pleading the man with her wide eyes and unconsciously formed pout.

He looked back down and tied the knot harder before turning around, making his way towards the door.

"Wait!" Blair shouted, stopping the man in his tracks.

"Please, just tell me, is my friend o-okay?" she stuttered. "Please, I just need to know."

The man shrugged, pulled the chain hanging from the ceiling to turn off the light, before leaving and locking the door on his way out.

Blair felt a tear make it's way down her cheek as she was met with darkness once again.

"Please hurry, Chuck," Blair whispered into the empty room.

_______________

Later that night, after pondering over the documents and eventually giving up on figuring out what they meant, Chuck lay in bed flipping through TV channels.

There was a knock on his door again, but this time Chuck was expecting it. He got out of bed and opened his suite door, greeting the front desk man.

"Sir, I have a new Blackberry Bold for you."

"Thanks," Chuck mumbled, barely remembering to close the door as he anxiously tore open the box and pulled out the phone.

Thankfully he hadn't lost his contacts since they had been saved onto the compatible software on his computer. He hooked up his phone to his laptop and watched as all his contacts were loaded onto the phone.

Once it was done, he found Blair's number and pressed the call button. He waited for her to pick up, but was once again met with her voicemail. He sighed in frustration, wondering if she had called him or not, knowing he wouldn't know unless he found his old phone. He hung up and decided to call Serena. He tried her number, but he was also met with her voicemail.

Would it be too crazy if he called dear Aunt Carol? He had to let Blair know that he lost his phone or else if she called him and he didn't call her back, she'd go all manic Blair on him. She might even give him the silent treatment, which was worse than anything else.

He decided to be safe rather than sorry and scrolled through his phonebook to find his P.I.'s number. When his P.I. picked up, Chuck replied, "Yes, it's me. I need you to get me Carol Rhodes number in Miami. Make it fast."

A few minutes later, Chuck was called back and given the number, which he proceeded then to calling.

Aunt Carol never picked up, however, and instead, Chuck was met with a message saying that the number was no longer in service. Chuck frowned, looking down at his phone to make sure he dialed the correct number. Confirming he did, Chuck pressed end and paused momentarily to figure out what exactly was going on.

None of the girls were answering his calls and Aunt Carol apparently didn't have a phone anymore. Either that or his P.I. was incompetent. The latter seemed unreasonable since his P.I. worked exceptionally well for everything else Chuck had asked him to do.

Something was going on, something that Chuck didn't like.

Little did he know that what was going on was more than something that he'd just dislike. It was something he'd feel sick to his stomach over.

This morning, he had thought that he had never felt so sick in his life. He would soon find out that it was a statement made a tad too early and much too naively.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! Hopefully you guys like the next chapter! =]

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anybody...but a girl can dream right? Do you think if I asked Jessica Szohr really nicely if I could have Ed, she'd hand him over? Or will there have to be illegal substances involved?

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Chuck made his way up to the Van der Bass home for breakfast the next day. He wasn't really fond of any of the people living in the penthouse right now other than Lily, therefore, he tried to visit the place as scarcely as he could without hurting Lily's feelings.

"Charles!" Lily exclaimed, embracing him in a hug as he stepped off the elevator.

"Lily", Chuck looked around, spotting the Humphrey family sitting in their pajamas in front of the TV. How...Brooklyn of them. Chuck bit back an unpleasant remark for the sake of Lily as he walked over to the kitchen with her. Eric was pouring pancake batter onto the griddle, but looked up once Chuck reached the kitchen counter.

"Chuck," the boy grinned at his step-brother as he flipped some of the golden pancakes over with his spatula.

"Eric. You realized athletics weren't your thing and decided to impress your little boyfriend by improving your domestic side?"

"Ha ha," replied Eric, sarcastically. "You're **so** funny, Chuck."

"Yes, well, a cold bedside pillow these last couple nights has allowed me to make great use of late night comedy TV."

Lily smiled, "Are you missing Blair, dear?"

"More like she's the one missing. I've tried calling her and Serena, but neither of them have picked up. I finally got your sister's number and called her, but it said her number wasn't in service."

Lily cringed and spoke in a tone of distaste, "Yes, well, apparently she had some man stalking her last month so she disconnected her service and has yet to resume it or get a new one. I think it was drug-related, but who knows with her. She left her old place and is supposedly 'under the radar,' well if you can be such thing after you reveal to someone where you're moving to. Ugh, I really don't understand what she sees in Florida."

Chuck scowled, "Yes, I prefer less Humphrey-like destinations myself."

"Chuck..." Lily admonished.

"Sorry, Lily. But it truly can't be helped."

Lily rolled her eyes at Chuck before speaking again, "Well, I don't know why the girls wanted to visit her anyway. I know Blair isn't much of a wild party girl, but I know my daughter and hanging out with the elderly population in Orlando isn't really her idea of a fun vacation."

Chuck frowned, "Orlando?"

"Well, yes. That's where Carol moved to."

"But they said they were going to Miami."

Lily frowned in confusion, shaking her head. "No, Serena told me she's staying with Carol and I know for a fact that Carol lives in Orlando now. I just spoke with her last week. You don't think the girls lied and went to Miami instead? Why would they do that? It's not like I haven't let Serena go to other places before. I mean she flew off to Spain on her own earlier this year and didn't tell anyone. I don't think she'd lie to me about a 3 hour difference in destinations."

"Maybe they're real destination isn't 3 hours away."

Lily looked confused. "What do you mean, Chuck?"

Chuck narrowed his eyes, "What I mean, Lily, is that the girls are probably not in Florida at all."

Chuck's fists clenched at his sides as his mind began working in overdrive, trying to figure out what the girls were up to.

"Well, where would they have gone?" Lily looked at Chuck in astonishment.

Chuck took out his phone and was about to call his P.I. before Eric interrupted him, "Chuck. Don't do what I think you're doing. No, wait. Don't do what I **know** you're doing."

Chuck ignored Eric as he pressed the call button.

"Chuck, I'm serious. Do you know how pissed Blair is going to be when she finds out you've gone spying on her? You told me she made you promise not to have her and Serena followed."

Lily looked back and forth between the boys, frowning since she was clearly out of the loop. "Boys, what is going on? Why would Chuck have Blair and Serena followed?"

Eric ignored his mother and said warningly, "Chuck..."

Chuck sighed just as his P.I. answered and replied, "Never mind," hanging up the line.

"Eric, explain what's going on," demanded Lily.

Eric opened his mouth to speak, but Chuck beat him to it. "It appears as though Romy and Michelle have lied to us by telling us they were visiting your lovely sister when in fact, they went to a destination that I have a pretty good idea of."

"Which is?" Lily asked, she too frustrated by this turn of events.

Eric cut in, "Chuck, you don't know that for sure. They could very well be in Florida with Aunt Carol. Maybe they thought Aunt Carol was still in Miami and figured they'd get her address once they got there. They probably didn't know she moved. You know how Serena is."

Chuck pursed his lips and practically growled, "Yes, Eric. But I know what Blair's like as well and Blair would never go anywhere without that kind of information beforehand, especially if she'd be taking a commercial flight. And I also know exactly what my irresponsible step-sister is like, which is why I **know** they're not in Florida right now."

Eric sighed, defeated and feeling nervous about what Chuck was going to do if the girls really weren't staying with his aunt Carol.

"Charles, where are the girls?" Lily crossed her arms, waiting expectantly for an answer.

"Europe."

Lily sighed, closing her eyes before opening them again and asking, "Where in Europe? It's a pretty big continent..."

Chuck clenched his jaw, "I know, Lily, which is why I wanted to call my P.I.," Chuck paused to look pointedly at Eric before facing Lily again, "and have him get me their location."

Eric placed his pancakes on a plate, making his way towards the dining table. He set the food down and suggested, "Chuck, maybe you should just wait a few more hours to see if Blair calls. That way if she does call, you will have avoided using your P.I. and, therefore, avoided an argument with Blair over how you don't trust her."

Chuck let out a grunt of disapproval, but said, "Fine," anyways.

Lily nodded, "I think that's a good idea. Plus I'm sure the girls are fine wherever they are."

_______________

Chuck sat down behind his desk staring at the documents he had received last night. He groaned in frustration and threw them against the office door. Simultaneously, Eugenia, Chuck's secretary opened his office door, gasping as she dodged the flying papers.

Chuck stood up in shock and hurried towards the woman. "Oh..uh, sorry, Eugenia. I didn't mean to...ahem...do that."

Eugenia smoothed down her hair and nodded. "Yes, well, I know you're stressed out, Mr. Bass. I just came to give you this," she responded, handing Chuck a big envelope. She bent down and started collecting the previous documents off the floor.

Chuck felt anxious as he tore open the envelope. "Let me guess, the person didn't tell you their name?"

Eugenia confirmed this, nodding her head. "He looked like a normal looking guy, nothing suspicious about him. When I asked him who it was from, he said everything you needed to know was in the envelope."

Chuck pulled out the contents only to find real estate contracts partially filled out. Bass Inc. was filled out in the appropriate spots for the seller, but the buyer's name remained unknown. Each contract was for a different building Bass Inc. owned. Chuck walked over to his desk with Eugenia eagerly looking over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the documents.

Finally she asked, "What is it, Mr. Bass?"

Chuck lined up the contracts with the documents from the previous night and found that the buildings matched.

"I have no idea, but I'm going to get to the bottom of this cryptic bullshit. If someone wanted to buy a building from us, they could have just met with us using standard business procedures. Whoever wants to purchase these buildings is clearly in over their heads. Not only have they not specified who the hell they are, but look, they want the company's most valuable establishments."

Eugenia looked over the documents, shaking her head in bewilderment. "Maybe they already met with you and after you denied the desired transaction, they decided to demand it from you."

Chuck frowned looking over the papers then at Eugenia. "But they haven't offered me any incentive to sell them the buildings. I'm not going to do it just because they demand me to."

Eugenia scrunched her forehead in thought. "No one's blackmailed you yet?"

Chuck paused to ponder the idea. "No, I've just gotten these documents from a nameless delivery guy. Faceless too since I've never seen him."

"Well, if I'm right and you've met this person before, you would recognize who has wanted these exact buildings before, correct?"

Chuck looked down at the papers and the names of the buildings, slowly shaking his head. "A lot of people have come in asking for some of these buildings. Everyone wants them. They're in the most profitable parts of the city."

Eugenia nodded and looked at her boss, waiting for him to give her an order.

"Unless..." Chuck began, "No, never mind."

"What is it, Mr. Bass?"

"I just thought maybe...well, I remember one of the Vanderbuilt associates came and I had Peter meet with him. I was supposed to have the meeting, but I had Peter cover for me because something came up. You remember that, about a week or so ago?"

Eugenia gave a look of concentration before replying, "Yes, yes. It was with Mr. Vanderbuilt's executive assistant actually. Last Tuesday, I believe."

"Yeah, well, Peter had said that the Vanderbuilts had a ridiculous offer and I had asked him what it was, but he gave me a vague description of how the meeting went. He said the Vanderbuilts wanted to purchase a huge chunk of our real estate and that of course, he denied the offer, but that the Vanderbuilt rep had walked out of the meeting angrily. Apparently when Senior Vanderbuilt got the message, he wasn't too happy about our refusal to sell the properties. I don't know if these are the same properties that he wanted, though. Plus, I've known his family forever. It seems doubtful that they'd start all this mysterious nonsense with the company. My father and Mr. Vanderbuilt were never at odds."

"Well these are our most desirable properties and it seems like the Vanderbuilts didn't handle the rejection well. They might just want it **that** bad."

Chuck rubbed his chin, thinking. "But what are they exactly proposing? I mean obviously we denied selling them the properties before and now they're sending me contracts to do so anyways? I mean, they haven't even sent a bottle of scotch over with the deliveries. Where's the incentive here?"

Eugenia shook her head, "I don't know, Sir. I'll let you know if anything else is delivered, though. I'll ask Peter to give me a copy of the list of properties they wanted to purchase and we'll be able to confirm whether this is them or not."

Chuck nodded, "Thanks. I'm going to head home, finish up my paperwork there. Don't stay at the office too late."

"Of course, Mr. Bass. Have a good night."

_______________

Chuck rolled his neck side to side to relieve the neck cramp he had from sitting all day, hunching over paperwork. He walked down the hallway towards his suite only to find the door open. He slowed his pace down and when he reached the doorway, he hesitantly walked in.

He sighed in relief when he saw it was only the cleaning lady tidying up the place. The lady vacuuming the living room looked up at him and turned off the machine. She bowed her head a little, smiling as she greeted her boss.

"Mr. Bass, good evening. I'll be out of your hair in just a minute."

Chuck nodded and gave a slight smile back. He headed towards the bar and poured himself a glass of scotch. He took a sip and instantly felt himself relaxing. He looked around surveying the now clean suite before his eyes landed on the black gadget that sat upon the counter in front of him. He leaned over and recognized it as his old Blackberry.

"Hey, Mary. Where'd you find this?"

Mary looked up at the phone in his hand and shook her head, giving him an amused smile. "Oddly enough, it was in the bar drawer. I was putting your beer bottle opener back in its spot and I found your phone sitting in there."

Chuck looked confused, but he figured he did a lot of stupid stuff last night and this was probably just one of them. "Hmm...well, thanks, I was looking for it."

Mary nodded and bid good night as she left the suite and closed the door behind her.

Chuck looked down at the phone and unlocked the screen.

One missed call and one voice message.

Chuck clicked on the missed call bubble and smiled when he saw Blair's name show up. He anxiously hit the number to his voicemail, eager to hear her voice.

"_Chuck! Oh God! Please don't hate me, but I'm not really in Miami. I'm in Paris."_

Chuck immediately felt his stomach drop and his blood run cold. Just from the first word she said, he could tell she was panicking and most definitely scared. As he listened to the message further, he felt more and more nauseous. Chuck gripped onto the counter for support as he heard her start crying in the message.

When her voice was cut off and the line went static, he looked down at his phone to see if the message had ended. He saw the message was still running and placed the phone by his ear.

Just when he really thought the message was over and it couldn't have gotten any worse, he heard:

"_Bass, you should have known better."_

And then the call abruptly ended.

Chuck thought he was having a heart attack with the way his heart was frantically beating inside his chest.

Oh, God. Blair.

He knew. He should have never let her out of his sight. The man in the message was right. He really should have known better.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Okay so you all probably hate me right now. I hate me too, okay? I get so frustrated when authors don't update on a regular basis, but guess what? Life sucks and definitely gets in the way of writing fanfic. Writing takes energy and time! Even if you love doing it! I've been so lazy to actually use my brain for anything non-college related so I've neglected this story, but I just had a big cup of coffee and insomnia has kicked in so here I am with an update. Woot! Also, I've been trying to keep myself from reading spoilers for season 4, kind of like a late practice of lent haha. No spoilers this summer or next year, but I'm epically failing. I read that recent spoiler (SPOILER ALERT) about Chuck bringing a new girlfriend to Paris with him and I got really annoyed. Therefore, I need to stop reading those things. I also feel like I enjoyed the show more when I truly didn't know what would be happening. But that was also during season 1, when I hadn't become as invested in Chair, therefore, the status of their relationship wasn't a life or death thing. And clearly, now it is. Anyways, sorry for my freaking longgg author's note...enjoy the chapter and leave some love! =]

"I told everybody that this is what would happen. No one ever fucking listens to me."

"Chuck-"

"No, Eric. You.You told me not to call Mike. Now look what's happened. Do you want me to replay the message to remind you what the fuck's happened?"

"Chuck, please," Lily sighed. She found herself sitting down on the couch, holding on tightly to the phone in her hand.

Lily had been sleeping when she received the call from Chuck. She had been surprised to get a phone call so late, and as she picked up the phone, fear instinctively settled in her gut. He told her about the message he had received from Blair and continued yelling at Lily about how irresponsible and stupid everyone had been to let the two girls go on the trip in the first place. Lily had quickly thrown on her robe and shaken the elder Humphrey awake. Chuck had already had his P.I. and the Parisian police on the search for the girls. He was planning to join the search, with his own team in tow, but the Bass jet needed to be fueled before they could take off. That's why he was left waiting in the Van der Bass living room, pacing back and forth, spouting out angry, accusatory remarks at everyone. His yelling had only added to the headache Lily was already feeling from her increasing anxiety. She hadn't let go of the phone since Chuck had called. She was praying that the Parisian officer in charge of the search would call any second to tell them the girls had been found.

"I swear to God. If Blair is hurt at all-" Chuck began with a menacing glare, only to be cut off by Rufus.

"Chuck, we need to stay optimistic right now and you're not helping."

Chuck practically lunged at Rufus, but was held back by Eric and Jenny. "Optimistic?" he shouted. "You want fucking optimistic? Go make yourself a God damn sugar coated waffle and shut the hell up. You know nothing."

"Chuck!" Lily had gotten up by now, finding herself at her wits end with Chuck. She stared back at him with the same angry glare. "That's enough! I will not have you put down Rufus when all he's trying to do is help. Now, please, if you can't wait here quietly until the Bass jet is ready, then wait somewhere else. But if you can, it would be nice of you to be here, waiting together, because we can all use some support in the meanwhile."

Chuck clenched his jaw, then spoke with a low and furious tone, "Support? You think I want your guys' support? Your 'support' is what got us in this dilemma in the first place." And with that, he turned around and stormed out of the penthouse.

Blair hadn't been able to sleep, sitting in the upright position she had been situated in. That, and the fact that her mind was currently preoccupied with different scenarios of how she would die. Would they just come in and shoot her? Or would they slowly torture her first? What if they took advantage of her before they did anything...

She felt a fresh onslaught of tears cloud her vision just as suddenly as the thought had come. It was all just too overwhelming to handle. She wondered if Serena was okay, if she was alive. So many times had they gotten in petty arguments, the most recent one being over their transportation to the hotel. And even though Blair knew Serena was at fault for leading the men to their hotel by agreeing to the ride with the stranger, she felt no anger towards her blonde best friend. All she felt right now was heart-wrenching fear. The thought of not seeing Serena, even if they were to just spend the rest of their lives arguing, was enough to make any sort of resentment towards her friend vanish.

She continued staring at the door, or at least in the direction of the door since the room was pitch black and all she could really see was darkness. Where the hell was, Chuck? Hadn't he gotten her message? What if he had found out they had gone to Europe before she even called him and told him herself? Then he'd probably be avoiding her and her calls, and he'd have no idea she was kidnapped right now.

But surely, he'd be angry enough to call her about his P.I.'s findings before completely giving her the silent treatment. He was careless, irresponsible, and immature with almost everything in his life, but she was always the exception. He cared enough about her to have called her right when he found out she was in Paris. Well, if he found out. She wouldn't even know if he got her message since she'd been taken without her phone. How would anyone find them if they had no clue where they were even at?

Blair could feel herself starting to have a panic attack and forced herself to calm down with deep breaths. She needed to be brave. Whether Chuck knew where she was or not, it was unlikely he'd be here in the next few hours, and she had a bad feeling that one of the guys outside the room was going to pay her a visit before then.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: It's been way too long. Forgive me, please?

As Chuck was led through the police station in Paris, he felt a new surge of adrenaline run through him. It was the first time he felt any sort of control since he found out about the girls' kidnapping. In New York, he had felt helpless and out of the loop. Being in Paris, he knew he could scour the city with his own men and kill the bastards who took his girlfriend and step-sister with his own bare hands.

"Charles Bass?"

Chuck snapped out of his angry thoughts when a man, who looked to be in his early thirties, stood in front of him and stuck his hand out to shake in greeting. Chuck took the man's hand and confirmed his name with a nod.

"Adrien Claude: Chief of the force. I'm sorry we could not meet under better circumstances."

"Do you have any leads yet?"

Adrien looked startled for a moment, caught off guard at Chuck's abruptness. "Well, maybe. We're processing the surveillance videos from the airport and the hotel Ms. Van der Woodsen and Ms. Waldorf were staying at, which we tracked down from the taxi driver who had given them the ride. They were staying at the Hotel George in the top floor penthouse."

"And?"

"And we're trying to get an identity on the male who accompanied them on their taxi ride. He helped the ladies with their luggage. He was caught on camera walking into the hotel with them, but he came back out alone a minute or so later."

Chuck's agitation grew at what seemed like a dead end. "Well, where the hell does that lead us?"

"About twenty minutes later, two large men entered the hotel. We're waiting for surveillance videos from the hotel to see if they took the elevator up to the girls' penthouse. We believe the men are affiliated with the man who took the taxi ride with the girls since he was the only one to have come in close contact with the girls before then. He must have gotten their room info somehow and fed the information to the two other guys."

"If it were up to Serena, I wouldn't doubt it, but Blair would never give out that info to a person she just met."

"Well, it's not as impossible as it may seem. If he was helping them with their luggage, he could have been there when a bell boy approached the girls and overheard them giving their room number."

Chuck pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to take in all this new evidence. "Okay, so you think he gave that info to the two guys?"

"I think it's very possible. In order for two people to be kidnapped, it requires more than one guy in the effort. We need to see the hotel elevator video to see if they did indeed go to the penthouse. Once that is established, we'll need to have our software match the video scans to our identity database. Then we'll be able to find out who these guys are and that might give us a lead on tracking them down."

"What about when they left the building? There's no tape of that?"

"No, they must have taken a hidden exit of some sort."

"Damn it. I need to find them now. Who knows what they could be doing to Blair and Serena. The girls could be hurt or...God. And you guys are taking your sweet time waiting for videos and scans."

"Mr. Bass, we're working as fast as we can. The hotel-"

Chuck leaned in towards Adrien with an angry glare, intense enough to cause Adrien to move his head back in fear. "The hotel, like any business, needs to be given a monetary bribe in order to comply faster. I told you to do whatever it takes to find the girls. No matter what the cost."

"I-I understand, Mr. Bass, but-"

"There are no but's when it comes to my girlfriend's safety. Have your men fax over all the evidence you've gathered to my team. If it weren't for the fact that you can obtain search warrants faster that we can, I wouldn't have even bothered with your force." Chuck slammed the door on his way out, fuming, but more so, scared over the fact that this kidnapping was becoming all the more real with all the information that was just presented to him.

Blair had stopped crying a little while ago, finding her eyes too dry and tired for any more. Her stomach was growling so loud, she was sure one of the men were going to walk right in and finally rid themselves of her. Just as she started thinking about what she would do in that situation, she heard the door open and some footsteps come in.

The light was turned on and Blair was faced with the same man who had come in earlier and tied her to the headboard. She looked up at him with wide eyes, waiting for his next move. He leaned over her and untied the rope around her waist. He pulled a chair from the corner of the room, then picked Blair up off the bed and placed her on the chair. He tied her to the chair before looking over his shoulder and calling out, "Hey, boss!"

The other man that had held onto Serena earlier walked through the door and looked at Blair.

"She's ready."

The boss nodded and took out his phone. The man who tied her to the chair pulled out a gun and placed it to the side of her head.

Blair whimpered in fear and closed her eyes, willing it all to be just a nightmare. Any minute now and she'd be woken up by Chuck and his tender, morning kisses.

She was startled out of her thoughts when the boss brought his face close to hers and spoke harshly, "You're not going to talk until I tell you to, get it? Or else, I'll make sure you're never able to talk again."

His breath smelled like cheap cigarettes and bad liquor, nothing like Chuck's expensive scotch and imported cigars. Blair grimaced as the man continued breathing in her face.

The man holding the gun hit the back of her head with it and yelled, "Hey! He's talking to you, bitch!"

She didn't think she had any more tears left to cry, but the pain from being banged in the head with the gun was so sudden that she felt a new batch of tears make their way down her cheeks. She forced herself to nod to avoid any more abuse.

The boss held the phone to his ear, waiting for the person to pick up. "Bass."

Blair quickly looked up at the mention of Chuck's name, but her head was shoved down just as quickly by the man with the gun.

"It's not of your concern as to who this is. All you need to do is sign the papers and you can get your girlfriend back."

What papers? Blair's mind was racing, trying to figure out which papers the man was referring to. She couldn't think of anything, at least not very clearly with the gun shoved onto the side of her head.

"The girl is lucky she's not dead yet. Those papers were sent to you for some time now. In fact, there's been ample time for you to sign them and make the deal...Don't play dumb, Bass. How many contracts have you received in the last few days that have been filled out for you and dropped off at your door...Your girl won't get hurt as long as you sign the papers...She's still alive, that's all you need to know...Be careful, Bass. The more you threaten me, the less apathetic I feel towards your girl and the more inclined to just go ahead and dispose ourselves of her...fine."

The boss moved the phone away from his ear and stuck it next to Blair's ear. She heard Chuck's voice on the line, "Blair? Blair, are you there?"

She tried to say yes, but her throat was still raw from all the screaming and crying she had done.

"Oh, God. Blair, are you okay? Have they hurt you? Where are you?"

Blair closed her eyes and prayed that she wouldn't burst into tears in front of these men. They had already seen her weak and crying enough as it was. She felt overwhelmed by relief just from the sound of Chuck's voice even though he was nowhere in sight and her safety was still undetermined.

She finally managed to say, "Chuck, please come."

The boss yanked the phone away from her ear and put it back next to his own. "You have until nine o'clock tonight to sign the papers and deliver them to the Port de Suffren. If you're not there, you can forget ever seeing your girlfriend again."

He ended the call and motioned for his partner to follow him out. The man holding the gun turned off the light and followed his boss out the door, locking it shut.


End file.
